SANTA CLARA –Swiss Days has begun, with its 2013 theme “Flood, Mud and Helping Hands” bringing a hometown celebration of history distant and recent. Swiss Days honors the Swiss pioneers who settled Santa Clara in 1861, and the people who came together to meet the community’s needs in the wake of a devastating flood one year ago.

The traditional highlight of the week, the Swiss Days Parade, begins at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Jacob Hamblin Home on Santa Clara Drive and proceeds through downtown past City Hall. This year’s entries will showcase motorcycles, antique cars, the presentation of the grand marshal and Swiss Miss & Mr., local businesses and schools, live animals, pioneer heritage and homemade floats.

Santa Clara celebrated the inaugural Swiss Days in 1990 in tribute to the city’s pioneer heritage, in which Swiss members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints settled the area. This year’s festivities also pay respect to the volunteers who answered a desperate call for help in the wake of the flood of Sept. 11, 2012, and the restoration that has occurred since.

On Tuesday, there will be a dedication of the new Tuacahn Wash Detention Basin, which was completed in February; on Thursday a commemorative monument for the Clary Bridge, across from the historic Jacob Hamblin Home, will be dedicated, followed by the Swiss Days opening ceremonies at City Hall at 7 p.m. A flood exhibit will be open during scheduled hours in the City Hall Banquet Room Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The celebration continues through Saturday, with activities planned throughout the week. See below for a complete schedule.

Event schedule

Event details and contact information

What: Swiss Days

When: Sept. 23-28, see schedule for details

Where: Santa Clara, various locations; see schedule for shuttle options